Well my invisible friends...I'm off to watch the A's last home game. A meaningless match with the Angels, but the last baseball game of the year.

Have fun, lexine! My buddy just offered me a ticket to the last Blue Jays game of the year, Sunday against the MIGHTY KANSAS CITY ROYALS on Fan Appreciation Day (snerk). Of course I'm going!

Who doesn't want to come home to *that*?

On the days I miss that, I just turn the tv up louder.

I'm teasing, Susan. He seems like a fine spouse. Just feeling a little extra single today.

I figured you were, erika--I just wanted to make sure it was clear I was teasing with the backing slowly away part!

Yeah. Figured.

I slept in an extra hour this morning and I feel so much better. And it dramatically helped the dark circles of doom under my eyes too.

Aww, spouse stuff. Sorry that work is such of the suck, dw. Venting is a good thing.

Emily, I've been thinking of you. What you are going through right now is just so hard and draining from my experience. I hope the world starts smiling a little more on you.

My dad just called with the news that my friend A.'s husband died this morning. My uncle works for a funeral home, and I had given A. his name when she was looking into it a few months ago -- her husband had cancer and had relapsed badly late last year.

So unbelievable -- I think he was just forty, and they have a six-year-old son. He found out about the cancer when A. was pregnant with their little guy, so their son never knew his dad as other than ill in one way or another.

How very sad. All kinds of healing to your friend and the kidlet.

{{{Amy}}}

I hate cancer.

Thanks, guys. It seems so unreal, even though he's been sick for so long. And the thought of her raising that little guy alone, and then having to go back to work full-time... Cancer really does suck. Hard.

I should make this clear:

This BIG HONKING REPORT is due every seven years.

In June 2004 we received a letter informing us of the deadline for the preliminary version -- August 31, 2005.

The faculty committee was organized in November 2004.

The first draft of two sections (20% of total) were completed in June 2005.

25% of the initial writing was complete in July 2005.

35% of the initial writing was complete on August 31, 2005.

Deadline moved back to September 30, 2005.

As of this morning, writing had begun on all the sections, and 60% of the document in "final" state. The remaining 40% is either being edited or IS AS OF YET UNWRITTEN. The unwritten part amounts to as much as 10% of the document.

The document should be off the press and in a FedEx box heading for DC RIGHT NOW, or at least before the pickup time (2 hours or so from now). It's not even ON THE PRESS. It's not even AT THE COPY CENTER.

And the worst of it... my section (the appendicies) is 80% complete. I'm waiting for the other 20% and an editing pass, but it's ready otherwise. I'm supposed to get the other 20% tomorrow or Monday, but I'm not holding my breath.

And oh... I'm the liasion with the copy people now (we've dumped the press idea). So, at some point I have to clearly state to them what exactly this document is supposed to look like and how many copies. Heh. Can't even do that right now, because I have NO DOCUMENT so I have no idea WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE.

Current target date is next Friday. And the word is that's about to slip. Despite the recent flurry of activity, I'm thinking I'll be playing Duke Nukem Forever on my Windows Vista system before that happens.

I've seen poorly managed projects before. Hell, I've been in them. But this one dwarfs all others. Honestly, MICHAEL BROWN COULD DO A BETTER JOB. THAT'S RIGHT. FEMA BOY COULD DO A BETTER JOB. THAT IS HOW BAD THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN.

And the stakes are high. If we get this wrong, we could be on the road to losing our accreditation. No accreditation, no Federal grant money. No Federal grant money... no jobs.